Simple Past and Past Continuous

Simple Past Tense

Actions, events, states that started and finished in the past (…ago, last …, yesterday… )

Regular verbs: -ed Irregular verbs: 2nd column

Tell your partner – use past simple What did you do yesterday? What did you do Friday night? Where were you Saturday morning? How did you do celebrate your last

birthday?

Practice: Do you have a good memory?Are you a good witness?

Directions: Look at the following picture for one minute. Try to remember as many details as you can, but don’t write anything.

Only one minute…

Ready, go ….

One minute…

What do you remember?

1. How many people were there?2. Where were the people?3. What was hanging from the ceiling?4. What was the bank robber holding?5. What was the bank robber wearing?6. What colour was his hair?7. What was covering the bank robber’s face?8. Was the bank robber right-handed or left-handed?9. What was the bank manager doing?10. What was the bank teller doing?11. Who was walking into the bank?12. What time was it?13. What was under the bank manager’s desk?

One minute…

Past continuous

What were you doing at 9 in the evening? I was watching TV We were playing Monopoly

Past continuous

I was You were He was She was word + ing It was We were You were They were

Tell a classmate – use past continuous verbs: I was _______ing

Where were you last Thursday at 8 p.m.? What were you doing?

What were you doing Friday at 5 p.m.? Where were you? Who were you with?

What were you doing Sunday morning at 7 a.m.?

What were you doing last night at nine o’clock? What were you doing last Saturday afternoon?

Past Continuous, continued

Sorry, I wasn’t listening to you while you were talking.

While I was reading, he was writing.

Simple past met past continuous in sentence

I was crossing the street …when the driver ran through the red light.

Other examples:

I was sleeping when the telephone rang and woke me up.

He was driving too fast when he crashed the car.

More Examples:

We were watching the news when the announcer made a special live report.

I was trying to study when you called.

Form of Past Continuous

Subject + was / were + verb+ing

Negative:Subject + was / were + not + verb+ing

Yes/ No Question:Was / Were + subject + + verb+ing ?

Information Question:(WH) + Was / Were + subject + + verb+ing ?

Remember –ing spelling rules?Verb ending in... How to make the -ING form Examples

(Most verbs) Add -INGsay - saying

go - goingwalk - walking

1 vowel + 1 consonant Double the consonant, then add -INGswim - swimming

hit - hittingget - getting

1 vowel + 1 consonant + E

Final –ie

Remove E, then add –ING

Change –ie to y, then add -ING

come - cominglose - losinglive – living

die – dyingtie -- tying

A little practice

The telephone (ring) when I (take a shower).The telephone rang when I was taking a shower.

I (eat) dinner when you (come) in.I was eating dinner when you came in.

It (rain) while they (walk) home.It was raining while they were walking home.

We (see) an accident when we (drive) on the freeway.We saw an accident when we were driving on the

freeway.

A little practice 2She (chop) onions when she (cut) her finger..She was chopping onions when she cut her finger

We (watch) TV when the electricity (go) out.We were watching TV when the electricity went out.

My dad (do) the dishes while my mum (send) an email.My dad was doing the dishes while my mum was

sending an email.

Final Tips …

Use while for two actions in progress at the same time in the past:

She was talking while he was driving.

Use when for an action that was in progress that was interrupted by another event in the past):

I was just leaving when you called.(“storing”)

Punctuation with When and While When and while at the front of a sentence, use a

comma:When you called, I was watching TV.While he was washing the clothes, I was doing the

dishes. When and while in the middle of a sentence, no

commaI was watching TV when you called.I was doing the dishes while he was washing the

clothes.

1. She ______________________ (surf) when the shark___________________________ (attack) her.

2. He _______________________ (dance) at a party when he ______________________ (meet) his girlfriend.

3. I ________________________ (have) a picnic when I ________________________ (see) my sister.

4. When they ______________________ (see) the shark they _______________________ (swim) in the sea.

5. Susan ______________________ (arrive) while I _______________________ (have) dinner.

6. He ___________________________ (play) football, when he ____________________ (break) his leg.

7. I _____________________ (wait) for my friend when the bus _________________________ (arrive).

8. When I __________________________ (get back) my mum _______________________ (cook) dinner.